The “Conflict of interest certification, resolution, and authorization”
under
FY 2017 CDBG Grant, Valdosta- Lowndes County Habitat for Humanity
actually means no conflict of interest, according to
the agenda sheet,
which also notes “Lowndes County is currently on course to apply for $750,000.00 in CDBG funds from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) for a
new public facility for the Valdosta-Lowndes County Habitat for Humanity.”
Well, they’re not on course until they stop feuding with the local cities
about tax revenue allocation, because they can’t apply for any state
or federal grants until that is resolved.

Why is a public hearing for VSU bonds being held at a private law firm?
Is there no parking at VSU for the public to hear about this
$58,805,000 bond issue?
There is free parking at the county palace for which we the people footed around $51 million in bonds.

Can’t the Lowndes County Commission provide this bond Public Hearing
with a public place to meet?

In the Valdosta Daily Times yesterday, October 5th 2016, and not online anywhere I can find it, was this Public Notice.
Gretchen scanned it, and I OCRed it and formatted the lists to make it more legible.
Continue reading →

See for yourself what Jeb Bell was talking about to GPB, in these videos he sent
of the destruction Sabal Trail is doing on his property.
His father, James Bell, says it started immediately after a small protest Monday,
and is plowing through gopher tortoise burrows, rare pitcher plants, large pine trees bulldozed and burned, and today within 300 yards of his house.
James Bell the elder will be at the US 84 Withlacoochee River bridge 9AM this
Saturday, September 17th 2016, to join the
WWALS Watershed Coalition protest against Sabal Trail and the Dakota Access Pipeline,
which are now
owned by the same companies.
That’s between Quitman and Valdosta, GA; see you there.

County government and local issues: change orders, sole-source contracts, suing local companies, meetings with little notice, going back on their own resolutions, can’t see what they are voting on, and what are their ordinances?
If you want to help, we have a little list of tasks you can do.
And two County Commission seats and the Chair are up for election this year,
plus county school board, sheriff, and a bunch of other offices.

Thank you Commissioner Demarcus Marshall
for voting no.
Calling it
“a good business decision”, the CEO of Waller Heating and Air
lauded the others for voting to sell county land for a pittance to a company from Houston, Texas, nevermind their resolution of a year ago.
We thought we elected them to represent the people of Lowndes County,
and we thought they did
back in December 2014 when they unanimously voted
“the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners opposes the construction of the Sabal Trail pipeline in any portion of Lowndes County.”
But at least one of them (“Wisenbaker) didn’t even remember that the county voted to oppose Sabal Trail.
Apparently most of them concur with what the County Engineer said about landowners who have not taken
Sabal Trail’s money, “I don’t know who they are.”

Update 2016-01-28:WCTV report, plus Gret chen’s question: “Is less than 50 cents per person in Lowndes County enough to risk drinking water for all?”

There is no reason our only county-wide elected government should rush to take a pittance from a company from Houston, Texas for an easement through the closed landfill toxic waste site that would risk our drinking water and enable more easement takings from local landowners.
On the front page of today’s VDT the County Clerk contradicted what Lowndes County Chairman Bill Slaughter has written repeatedly to FERC, that he and the Commission represent “Citizens of Lowndes County”.
She also didn’t mention the GA-EPD permit for any work within that landfill that
the Chairman previously demanded from Sabal Trail, nor the multiple state other and federal permits Sabal Trail does not have.
Although it’s still not on the published agenda,
the Commissioners have an opportunity tonight to vote to support their
own unanimous resolution of December 2014 against Sabal Trail.